Celebrate #Easter with a Tour of the #Thorntons Interactive #Chocolate Factory

As Easter approaches and we all begin to brace our stomachs for the
sudden influx of 2 tonnes of egg-shaped chocolate, brands around the
world look for fresh, intriguing ways to engage with their customer base.
For no-one is this more important around Easter than the chocolate
companies themselves, as they aim to capitalise on what is described by
John Alexander Rowley, search manager at British chocolate company Thorntons, as "The second biggest chocolate season of the year".

This year, in fact, sees the implementation of what stands out as Thorntons most imaginative Easter campaign to date, in which they have created a fully interactive, CGI animated chocolate factory as part of their "Ultimate Guide to Easter Eggs".
The company states that the campaign marks Thorntons "biggest
investment yet in content and experiential activity"; a definite sign of
the times as consumers demand increasingly visual and 'gamified'
material.

Gamification is a big part of the campaign. The factory is
littered with bite-size facts about the egg-spinning process, just
waiting to be discovered, and visitors to the animated factory are
tasked with finding 5 Easter eggs hidden amongst the various characters
and contraptions. This adds a level of interaction that should help the
campaign spread its reach ever wider, with the lure of a year's supply of chocolate, along with a tour of the real Thorntons factory, being offered to one lucky winner of the egg hunt. The winner will be selected at random on 27th March 2016, so get involved soon if you don't want to miss out.

The campaign, created alongside the team at Cogent Elliott, stands out for its creativity and perfectly emphasises the brand's heritage and qualities. The campaign makes a point of highlighting what makes Thorntons different, and really does the brand some favours in the process.

The images below demonstrate the steps taken to turn the initial concept into a finalised animation. Credit must be given to the CGI team at Junction Eleven, who were responsible for creating the sleek, aesthetically pleasing yet informative animation.